Batten Down the Belfry is the fourth book in the House Flipper mystery series by Diane Kelly. I recently read the first three books in the series and have to say, this was my least favorite. The story was a bit slow and not as funny as the other books in the series.

The characters are so down to earth and relatable. I like that Whitney and Buck have such a close relationship as business partners and cousins. I am looking forward to seeing how the rest of the series will play out.

Batten Down the Belfry the 4th instalment in the House Flipper Mysteries series by Diane Kelly. This is 2nd book I have read in the series, and it can be read as a standalone.

Here is the church, here is the steeple…

Carpenter Whitney Whitaker and her cousin Buck have successfully flipped houses, but this is the first time they’ve attempted to renovate a house of worship. Still, the colorful stained glass in the country church has caught Whitney’s eye, and she’d love to breathe new life into the abandoned building. What’s more, the place has perfect acoustics. Could the worship hall be reborn as an entertainment venue with its parsonage repurposed as a pre-show bistro?

Open the doors, and see all the trouble.

The characters of Whitney, Sawdust (cat), Buck, Collin and Collette are ones I have really come to love. I also enjoy the setting of Nashville, Tennessee. This time around they are flipping an abandoned church and the concept they come up with is really cool and somewhere I would want to go to. I also like where the characters are heading in their personal lives. Overall I really like this series and it’s on my must read list.

The mystery is interesting and had lots of twists which kept me guessing. I had no idea who the killer was till Whitney did.

I requested and received an advance reader copy of this book from St.Martin Press and Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own

Batten Down the Belfry is the fourth in a series about cousins who flip properties near Nashville, Tennessee. I am new to the series and could tell that this isn't the first book, but the author did a good job of summarizing the past plot lines.
In this volume, Whitney and Buzz buy an old church. The neighbor contests the sale and a delivery driver is murdered in the belfry. Are the two events connected to the stained glass windows complete with jewels?
I didn't figure out the mystery until the end, which I like. I also appreciate that Whitney and Colette are go-getters and not afraid of their emotions or hard work and that the romance is understated. And even Sawdust the cat has a few chapters dedicated to his thoughts, and he plays a starring role in the end!
But I felt bored most of the book, and the author overuses the word "ugh." I didn't like the writing or premise enough to read more books in this series.

Whitney and her cousin Buck have bought an old church to rehab and flip but they're stymied almost immediately by Nolan, a neighbor who is claiming he owns it. That's only the beginning - the man who delivers the new windows is murdered and before they can take a breath- Nolan is also murdered! Whitney's love interest, Det. Collin Finn would rather that the two of them not investigate but he knows better- these two are intrepid and determined. The hunt for the villain takes them down an unexpected path. I have enjoyed this series (and this latest is fine as a standalone) because of the characters - not just Whitney and Buck but the others as well. There's humor but it never goes too far or gets hokey. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good cozy read.

3.5 stars

Carpenter and home renovator Whitney Whitaker and her business partner/cousin Buck are back for another house-flip -- and of course, another dead body.

They buy an abandoned church with big plans to turn it into a small entertainment venue with a parsonage restaurant for Whitney's roommate Colette. Right off the bat they have a problem -- the neighbor next door runs a horse breeding operation and claims he acquired the property years ago. After consulting their lawyer, they file a cease and desist order against him and proceed with renovations, including a couple of replacement stained glass windows. The windows get delivered, but later that day they find the delivery driver murdered in the old church belfry.

Was the delivery man a random target? Then the stained glass artist shows up and asks for them to be removed -- she said she sent the wrong windows. Something doesn't add up. Whit and boyfriend/detective Collin Flynn try to puzzle things out.

This is a fun series and the home improvement details are interesting. Whit does have a couple of airhead moments toward the end, and the idea of a carpenter carrying her cat around with her is a little bizarre, but all in all it's an enjoyable read. Thanks to the publisher and to Net Galley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I really liked Diane Kelly’s previous series about an IRS agent, so I had high hopes for this book. Except it felt like all the other characters were too much in the background and there was a lot of unnecessary detail - I didn’t need a history lesson on AML laws or the Panama Papers. I also wasn’t sure why Sawdust had his own chapters. I didn’t feel connected to any character or the development of any relationship. Diane Kelly needs to bring the spark from her other series into this one.

Thanks to NetGalley and St Martins for the arc.

Whitney Whitaker and her cousin, Buck, are back at it flipping houses in this fourth installment of Kelly’s house-flipper mysteries. This time they have their eyes set on an old church. Whitney is drawn to the abandoned church with its beautiful stained glass and is eager to make the abandoned space come alive again. They want it to become an entertainment venue.

Only, the owner of the farm next door, Nolan Sibley, is not too supportive of their plans and asserts a legal claim over the church property that puts Whitney’s and Buck’s flipping dreams in jeopardy. As the legalities play out, Whitney and Buck decide to move ahead with renovations despite the harsh welcome they received from Nolan– greetings with a cattle prod and a church full of horses! Things only get worse when Whitney’s cat, Sawdust, finds a body in the bell tower. It is the body of the man who had only recently delivered their replacement windows.

Whitney’s boyfriend, Colin, is assigned the case, but it becomes a complex case to solve after a second murder occurs nearby. This mystery will definitely keep you guessing until the very end while still maintaining the cozy-mystery feeling that the earlier books have done so well.
Book Information

Batten Down the Belfry by Diane Kelly will be released on February 22, 2022 from St. Martin’s Press with ISBN 9781250816030. This review corresponds to an advanced electronic galley that was supplied by the publisher in exchange for this review.

This was a really great story! I loved this new mystery, and this new flip! Whitney did find the church at the end of the previous book, so we knew what it was, but it had some pretty interesting features, that lead to what they ended up creating-like a restaurant for Colette!

There were a few things going on, and I wasn't sure that they were connected. First, there was the property's next door neighbour, who seemed to think he had a claim to the property. And then there's the murder of the delivery guy who delivered their stain glass windows. So a good portion of the mystery was if they were connected!

Of course the plot deepened and there were a few suspects, but once there was a turning point, and a good number of clues came to light, a domino effect that ending with the killer coming after Whitney. Loved how that confrontation went down!

My one concern is now, after reading this book, is that this might be the end of the series-the next flip wasn't found, and things are in a pretty good place for these characters, so I don't know if this is the end or not. I'm kinda hoping not, because I would love more mysteries with these characters!

This was a really great read, and I hope we get more in this series!

Whitney Whitaker, Sawdust and crew are back for another flip and another mystery or two. I love the comradery between the characters and the way they lift each other up. The mystery is a little convoluted and takes you down several side streets to get to the villain but you get there and I will say I enjoyed the ride. A terrific addition to the series.

The Fourth Book in the House-Flipper Mystery Series

Whitney Whitaker and her cousin, Buck, are flipping real estate in Nashville. So far they are doing pretty good. In this adventure, the two have purchased a property with a church and a parsonage on it. They have decided to turn it into an entertainment venue with the parsonage serving as a bar/restaurant.

Fresh from closing the deal, they arrive to find horses living on the land around the church and even one inside! And this is where we meet the neighbor. A real charmer, this one. He carries a cattle prod with him if that tells you what type of man he is. Telling them the land is his and sending them to court where the issue will be settled.

In the meantime, they get to work. The demo is in full swing and the stained glass windows are delivered. As Buck and Whitney haul them to the parsonage for safekeeping, Sawdust, who also narrates the story, is witness to a violent encounter inside the belfry! Oh to be a talking cat. Just as we were sure who did the deed, we are very wrong.

I love this series. Sawdust is a very good narrator and very observant. If you are an HGTV lover, this series is for you. There is a lot of friendship, family, good design, and a murder or two. What more could you ask for?

NetGalley/ February 22nd, 2022 St. Martin’s Press

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This book is about a woman, Whitney, and her cousin Buck who flip properties for profit. I liked that the woman lead was in a non-traditional profession. In this story, they buy an old Church and plan to turn it into a playhouse and the parsonage into a restaurant.
Whitney goes to a stained-glass place to buy some stained glass to replace some that are broken in the church windows. It is a simple errand but it sets off a series of events that lead to something very big indeed. The wrong windows are delivered, the delivery man is killed and that starts a chain of events that at first seem unrelated.
Whitney’s boyfriend Collin, a police detective, propitiously gets involved then the next-door neighbor is killed, the woman who owns the stained-glass shop has a criminal record, as did the delivery man. Is the place that shipped the wrong windows to Whitney and is supposed to send the right ones to Europe. The windows contain some very expensive items are the windows bound for European royalty or is there more to the story?
The story moves along at a fast clip and keeps adding more and more to the story until it reaches its final climax. The story is well written and along with a healthy dose of suspense, there is a lot of fun.

Batten Down the Belfry by Diane Kelly is the fourth book in her House-Flipper Mystery series. A murder investigation becomes personal for amateur detective Whitney Whitaker when a delivery driver is found murdered in the belfry of the old church Whitney and her cousin Buck are renovating to become a community theater. I liked how Whitney went about investigating smartly enough by cluing in her boyfriend Detective Colin Flynn along the way. The storyline is intriguing with action and suspense and fast pacing. This was a fun cozy mystery to read.

Thank you Netgalley and Publisher for allowing me to review this book.

My first time reading this series and my review is def. in the minority.

1) You can read it as a stand-alone.
2) The mystery is okay. I could not figure out who the murderer was.
3) My biggest pet peeve and what took away from the story, was that there was too much unnecessary narrative, that added nothing to the story. I had to skip through a lot of that to get back to the mystery.

The author did a good job writing the book and if not was point 3 I would have enjoyed it more. I think she could have teased the mystery more.

Whitney Witaker and her cousin Buck's next house flipping project is converting an old church and parsonage into a new music venue and restaurant in Nashville. But the horse breeder next door believes that he owns the property and has been letting his horses roam there. He's not a very nice man given that he is a little too free with his cattle prod for Whitney's taste. That means that Whitney and Buck have to go to court, and Whitney is concerned about investing too much in the property until they are sure that they own it.

When a delivery man bringing some custom stained-glass windows to the site is murdered, Whitney and her cop boyfriend are on the case. And when the horse breeder also dies, Whitney's suspicions grow even more. Her investigations have her looking at the delivery man's possible involvement in selling drugs, the horse breeder's head hand possibly illegally selling stud services, and the stained-glass artist's possible connection to money laundering.

This was a fun story with lots of interesting details about house flipping. I liked the characters and thought the plot was nicely twisty. The recipes at the end of the book also look good.

Despite coming in on the fourth book in the series, I thoroughly enjoyed this cozy. It's like the perfect combination of Midsomer Murders (American style in Tennessee) and HGTV's house hunters. How can you go wrong? I'm going back to start the series from the beginning.

I enjoyed Batten Down the Belfry, the fourth book in the house-flipper mystery series by Diane Kelly, and agree entirely with its description as "delightful." This series follows Whitney Whitaker and her cousin Buck, who renovate and flip real estate properties in the Nashville area. This time, they are renovating an abandoned church and parsonage and manage to find themselves caught up in legal trouble and a murder investigation on the job. I love home renovation tv shows, so I was excited to read a book with this theme. And I found it charming, particularly reading about what they did with the old buildings. It was a nicely-paced, fun read with a solid mystery and likable main characters. I found the dialogue natural and the writing style fluid and easy to read, focusing on the mystery and plot. It worked fine as a stand-alone, although I will likely go back and catch myself up on the early part of the series. This book was a super cozy distraction and a relaxing way to spend some time—a feel-good kind of read. Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read this ARC. I enjoyed it!

Whitney and Buck buy an old church to rehab and give it a new life. The first day the neighbor comes over and says that he owns the property and they need to leave. As they are waiting for the courts to settle the matter I delivery man is murdered in the belfry. As always Whitney get involved to try and solve the murder.

I usually really like Diane Kelly's books especially her k-9 series but I have tried several times with this series and I think this is my last one. The mystery is slow and not very interesting. There is a lot more page time given to home improvement than the mystery. Even the leads were somewhat boring.

An interesting whirlwind mystery adventure featuring Whitney, Buck and her sidekick Sawdust! When a deliveryman is found dead in her belfry, Whitney begins to wonder if there is more to the mystery than a drug deal/robbery gone wrong. I absolutely loved this story and the characters! I especially loved the chapters told from Sawdusts perspective!

Diane Kelly’s writing style and sense of humor are just up my alley so it’s a joy reading the fourth book in the House-Flipper Mystery series. Whitney, Sawdust and the gang’s latest adventure is well paced with plenty of intrigue and I can’t wait to see where the next book takes all the different character’s story lines. If you’re a fan of DIY shows be sure to check out this series!

I received a copy of this book via Netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review

I'm against the majority of reviewers, but I really didn't care for the novel.

I'm always a sucker for a cat on the cover of books and I thought it would be fun to read about a house flipper. Even though I hadn't read the previous novels, I didn't feel that I was missing out on who the characters were and how they interacted.

It felt the novel was just too long. There were a lot of unnecessary information that I kept skimming over. I won't be continuing on with this series.

Thank you to Netgallery and St. Martin's Press for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.